KANSAS CITY (vs Detroit - UK):
Kansas City’s offense has been off more often than on, scoring just 4 TDs in its last four games. But here’s a week where it looks like a safe bet for at least 2 TDs (maybe more). Detroit’s defense has struggled for most of the year, giving up almost 29 points per game. ... Jeremy Maclin looks certain to return from his Week 6 concussion. Andy Reid said last Friday that he felt Maclin would play against the Steelers. Assuming Maclin is cleared (and this game starts before all of the others on Sunday) Maclin looks like a good candidate to post top-5 receiving numbers. He’s the clear focus of their passing game, and he’s gone over 140 yards in a couple of games this year. The Lions, meanwhile, have had all kinds of problems with blown coverages and missed assignments. Good receivers have tended to torch this defense.
| Good receivers against Lions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | No | Yds | TD |
| Allen, S.D. | 15 | 166 | 0 |
| Thomas, Den. | 9 | 92 | 1 |
| Sanders, Den. | 6 | 87 | 0 |
| Fitzgerald, Ariz. | 5 | 58 | 1 |
| J.Brown, Ariz. | 4 | 73 | 1 |
| Jeffery, Chi. | 8 | 147 | 1 |
| Diggs, Minn. | 6 | 108 | 1 |
Charcandrick West looks like an above-average tailback (that is, his numbers this week should be better than most of the other 27 starters at his position). West didn’t make much of an impact in his first start (at Minnesota) but he was heavily used and effective against the Steelers. He also was good in the preseason. Here he’s taking on what’s definitely a below-average ...
This report is taken from today's Week 8 edition of Fantasy Index Weekly. The newsletter includes our player rankings and 19 pages of camp reports, plus stat projections and custom rankings for the games being played this weekend.
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... defense. Detroit is allowing 123 rushing yards, with 10 rushing touchdowns. The Lions were very good against Adrian Peterson for most of their game on Sunday (75 of his 98 yards came on one carry) but that was a case where they went into that game keying on him. That won’t be the case on Sunday. West should go for 80-plus yards as a runner, and he’ll also probably put up 20-plus yards as a receiver. Kansas City also has Knile Davis, but it seems to have soured on him. He had only one carry last week (their other backup tailback, Spencer Ware, played more than him). This is West’s gig now, and he should be a poor man’s Jamaal Charles this week. ... It’s hard to get too excited about Alex Smith. After all, he’s thrown only 4 TDs in his last six games. But Smith is putting up above-average yardage figures (261 passing, 18 rushing), and this is a defense that’s been awfully soft. The Lions are allowing 287 passing yards per game, with 12 TDs in seven games. Smith has finished under 240 passing yards only twice, while the Lions have allowed over 300 passing yards in all but two of their games. That all seems good enough, and this could be a rare week where Smith puts up 2 TDs. ... Travis Kelce grades out as one of the very best tight ends. He’s having a big year -- on pace for 1,184 receiving yards -- and the Lions have had problems against tight ends. Of the 12 touchdown passes allowed by this defense, 5 have gone to tight ends. ... With Jeremy Maclin out, Kansas City got some production out of its young receivers last week. Chris Conley caught 6 passes for 63 yards and a touchdown, while Albert Wilson caught 3 for 71. But these guys tend to get shoved well into the background when Maclin and Kelce are healthy. ... We’re putting an above-average grade on Cairo Santos. The offense has had problems finishing drives at times, helping him to some big games. Santos scored 21 points at Cincinnati and finished with 11 last week against the Steelers. (Santos has scored only 24 points in his five other games.) ... The Kansas City Defense looks like an above-average unit. It’s got an above-average pass rush, while the Lions have had problems with their offensive line. Collectively, 31 sacks in 14 games between these units, but it probably should even be a little more than that. Kansas City has some defensive backs with ball skills, while the Lions have thrown 10 interceptions. Kansas City also has some of the league’s better kick-return units.
